Advanced Cooking Techniques for Superior Hand-Pressed Burgers

There is no end to the variety of delicious hamburgers you can make, but here are 12 that will make your mouth water.

By J. Kenji Lpez-AltJ. Kenji Lpez-Alt writes a column for The New york city Times on food and science, and he establishes recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube. This video and article belong to, our series on kitchen area fundamentals.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last 20 years of my career rigorously investigating and evaluating recipes, strategies and commonly accepted kitchen area wisdom to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated numerous burger joints and even wrote a monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Laboratory, in which I separated and evaluated every possible variable that can affect the taste and texture of a burger.

Here are the most crucial suggestions I have actually found for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the backyard or the cooking area. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Advanced Culinary Techniques for Superior Hand-Pressed Patties

In bread, this can be an advantage, but with hamburgers, overhandling can develop an unwanted thick texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra seasoning, like onions and herbs, also forces you to strain the meat and sidetrack from the beef flavor, so skip it.) Salting the exterior of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and assists them to link up more easily. This is a good idea in sausages, which ought to have a company texture, but with hamburgers, you want looseness. A hamburger needs to hurt, with a lot of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a big burger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash hamburger on a frying pan, browning is flavor, and high heat is essential. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and prepare them till they're well browned on both sides.

This maximizes taste while preserving juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to consuming so much faster. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had an opportunity to drip out.

Smash BurgersCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Diner BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Thick Backyard BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Follow,,, and.

Selecting the Best Meats for Tasty Burgers

Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually constantly been a hamburger enthusiast. Maturing, I 'd happily munch them down at sit-down dining establishments and from the drive-thru coming home from gymnastics practice. I 'd crush the soft bun and let ketchup dribble down the sides over my fingers. If there were any little melty American cheese leavings stuck on the wrapper, I 'd drag my french fries through them (I still do this).

Catch me on the ideal day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Actually, I might say that on most days. And you may say the same. But even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the same idea of what makes the perfect burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know people like but I simply. Perhaps I haven't attempted your favorite burger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (simply joking).

Let me share with you what makes the ideal hamburger for me. Let's begin with the patty.

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some shining from the beef and perhaps a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty should be scorched to help secure the juices, but not too crusty.